The Papelbon deal takes up $11 million for the Phillies in 2012.

Here is a revised look at the Phillies 2012 roster and payroll projections. The numbers for the arbitration players and players lacking service time are subject to change. They are merely educated guesses.

According to the Associated Press, it appears the MLB Luxury Tax will not be going up as it had the previous five seasons. It will remain the same as it was in 2011; $178 million. That doesn’t necessarily mean the Phillies won’t go over it, but in the past they’ve seemingly been reluctant to do it. It had gone up $8 million per season over the last five years of the old CBA. That’s no longer the case.

Included in the new CBA is a provision that will raise the minimum salary from $414,000 to $480,000. That could change some things for the Phillies with guys like Mayberry and Martinez. In the projections below, I’ve made those changes.

Blue: money that the Phillies owe in 2012
Red: educated guess as to how much player will earn in 2012 (arbitration or otherwise)

Infield/Catchers

-Ryan Howard: $20MM
-Chase Utley: $15.286MM
-Jimmy Rollins: $11MM
-Placido Polanco: $6.417MM
-Carlos Ruiz: $3.7MM
-Ty Wigginton: $2MM
-Jim Thome: $1.25MM
-Brian Schndeider: 800K
-Michael Martinez: $480K

$60.933MM (9 players)

Outfield:

-Hunter Pence: $10.4MM
-Shane Victorino: $9.5MM
-Laynce Nix: $1.15MM
-John Mayberry Jr.: $480K

$21.53MM (4 players)

Starting Pitching:

-Cliff Lee: $21.5MM
-Roy Halladay: $20MM
-Cole Hamels: $15MM
-Joe Blanton: $10.5MM
-Vance Worley: $480K

$66.48MM (5 players)

Relief Pitching:

-Jonathan Papelbon: $11MM
-Kyle Kendrick: $3.59MM
-Jose Contreras: $2.5MM
-Chad Qualls: $1.15MM
-Dontrelle Willis: $1MM
-David Herndon: $575K
-Antonio Bastardo: $575K
-Michael Stutes: $480K

$21.05MM (8 players)

Payments:

-Roy Oswalt: $2MM
-Brad Lidge: $1.5MM
-Ty Wigginton: -$2 million from Colorado

Estimated Total: $171.29 million (25 players, two buyouts, Wigginton money from Rockies)

Luxury Tax: $178 million (in 2012)

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The Phillies are getting closer to the luxury tax but with the signing of Jimmy Rollins and the settling of contracts for Hamels and Pence, it appears they have a full 25-man roster ready to go at this time. Juan Pierre and Scott Podsednik will duke it out for that final outfield spot, so one of the eight relievers will likely not stay.

With this 25-man crew the Phillies look to be somewhere in the $171 million range, so there isn’t much room to maneuver with the MLB luxury tax just ahead.

UPDATE: Here is a better breakdown of the new luxury tax rules in the new MLB CBA.

NOTE: According to USA Today’s salary database, the Phillies spent a shade under $173 million in 2011, Cot’s Contracts says the Phillies spent $165 million.

*(Cot’s Contracts, USA Today, and Baseball-reference, as well as a myriad of articles, were used in this payroll rundown)

Pujols and Fielder have gone West. (PHOTO AP)

We know about the moves the Phillies made themselves to improve, like the additions of Jonathan Papelbon, Ty Wigginton, and Laynce Nix, but moves, or lack therof, by other teams have helped the Phillies just as much.

Albert Pujols: 10 years, 240 million. Gone. Prince Fielder: 9 years, 214 million. Gone. Both of these players now call the AL their home, which means that the Phillies will not have to deal with either of them for more than one series each year, and not in the playoffs, unless it’s the World Series.

Think about the effect this has on the overall quality of competition the Phillies pitchers will have to face.  They will play the Cardinals and Brewers a total of 14 times in 2012, and none against the Angels or Tigers.  Fielder hit an incredible .440/.533/.560 against the Phillies last year, while Pujols hit .356/.408/.533. Now that both of them are gone, the Phillies pitchers can breathe a sigh of relief.

This means that guys like Kyle Kendrick, David Herndon, Michael Stutes, and Vance Worley–all guys who are young (except Kendrick)–can pitch with more confidence when facing the Brewers or Cardinals because of the absence of Fielder and Pujols. Confidence is a powerful thing, just look what it did to Kendrick last year.

Another effect that the absence of these these two power hitters will be the Cy Young race. Aside from the Phillies seeing these guys less, the rest of the NL will as well, meaning that Clayton Kershaw, Ian Kennedy, all the pitchers on the Giants, and others, will theoretically have even better stats in 2012. Here’s a look at each of the 2011 Cy Young candidates career numbers and career numbers against Pujols and Fielder:

As you can see, with the exception of Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee, each pitcher’s career OPS against is lower than their OPS against when facing either Fielder or Pujols. Both Halladay and Lee have the two best numbers against Pujols, but the two worst against Fielder. None of that will matter, anymore, however. We can expect to see a multitude of good pitching in the NL this year, with possibly even another record breaking year for the pitchers.

But there’s more. With Fielder and Pujols in their respective lineups, the Brewers and Cardinals had a guy that made everyone around him better. Guys like Casey McGehee, Corey Hart, David Freese, and Colby Rasmus all benefited from having the big guys in the lineup. Whether pitchers would give attack them with more strikes in fear of giving up a walk, or whether having Fielder and Pujols in the lineup just gave them more confidence, these guys were unquestionably better players with Fielder and Pujols.

But now without them in the lineup, the ripple effect will hurt every player on the roster. It’s easy to play alongside an MVP candidate, but not so much when that production must be made up once they’re gone. If I had to guess, I’d say that the Brewers and Cardinals will go from being the top two teams in in NL Central to being maybe the 2nd and 3rd best teams. One of them, if not both, will not make the playoffs in 2012, and the absence of the two big first basemen will make the regular season a whole lot easier for not only the Phillies, but the rest of the NL.

The Phillies three aces just got a little more “ace-ier”, and the Phils offensive woes just got a little easier to deal with.

An Eastern League All-Star, Hyatt posted an overall record of 12-6 with a 3.85 ERA and a .235 batting average against last year in 28 starts. Hyatt tallied tremendous numbers in the second half, to help his team reach the post-season. In 10 starts after the All-Star break, Hyatt posted a 5-1 record with a 2.78 ERA and a .221 batting average against.

In 2011, Hyatt was focused on improving the mental side of his game. His ability to read hitters at the higher levels of the minors has certainly benefited the 6-foot-3-inch 205-pounder. Working closely with Reading pitching coach Bob Milacki on analyzing opposing batters’ approaches were evident as Hyatt shut down some of the best hitters in the Eastern League. Facing the eventual league champion New Hampshire Fisher Cats that included EL Most Valuable Player Travis d’Arnaud, highly regarded Blue Jays prospect Anthony Gose as well as All-Stars Mike McDade and Moises Sierra, during the regular season, Hyatt went 3-0 with a 1.00 ERA. In addition, he went on to allow just 1 earned run in 7 innings, while striking out 9, in his lone postseason outing, against New Hampshire, who ousted Wild Card entrant Reading from the playoffs.

In 2010, Hyatt began the season with Class A Advanced Clearwater, where he tallied an 11-5 record with a 3.04 ERA in 23 games and was named Florida State League pitcher of the year. In August, the Georgia native joined Double-A Reading where he went 1-0 with a 4.91 ERA in 4 starts.

Immediately as a pro in 2009, Hyatt made an impact. As a member of the short season Williamsport Crosscutters, Hyatt dominated en route to becoming a NY-Penn League All-Star, posting a 3-0 record with a 0.66 ERA and a .141 batting average against in 17 games (5 starts). With Williamsport, Hyatt struck out an impressive 81 batters in 54 1/3 innings. Late that season, he earned a promotion to Class A Lakewood for their playoff run and he pitched as a reliever in all 5 of the BlueClaws’ postseason wins on their way to the South Atlantic League championship.

Hyatt’s pitch repertoire includes a mid-90′s fastball, an increasingly lively slider and a good change up. Sporting a K/9 rate of 11.03 in 3 pro seasons, Hyatt’s biggest advantage with his fastball is not necessarily the velocity, it’s his arm angle. The dropped down delivery is deceiving to batters who regularly have a difficult time picking up the 2009 15th round draft choice’s pitches.

After spending time this off-season working out and throwing with old amateur teammates and his brother Jared, a former Texas Rangers farmhand, and spending some time working out in Clearwater this January as part of a mini camp of Phillies minor leaguers, Hyatt is targeting a step upward on the developmental ladder and taking the mound for the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs. Once he tackles the International League, he’ll be focused on taking the next step to the big leagues.

It’s certainly possible that Hyatt could be moved back to a relief role, as needed, down the road, but for now, he remains a good option as a developing starting pitcher on stand-by if needs arise at the big league level.
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Our 2012 prospect countdown index can be found HERE.

Jay Floyd is PhilliesNation’s minor league insider.  You can read more from Jay by visiting his site, PhoulBallz.com.

(PHOTO: AP)

Jayson Stark of ESPN.com said in a series of tweets that the Phillies were attempting to unload Joe Blanton in an attempt to clear salary space to keep Roy Oswalt.

Verrrry interesting, to say the least. Who would that taker be, if they were able to find one? Undoubtedly, the Phillies would have to eat some, if not ALL, the remaining money on Blanton’s contract. Right now there does not seem to be any sort of market for Blanton, which significantly hurts the Phillies chances of re-signing Little Roy.

]]> http://philliesnation.com/archives/2012/02/2espn-phillies-tried-to-move-blanton-to-keep-oswalt/feed/ 18 http://philliesnation.com/archives/2012/02/with-schedule-howard-fill-ins-must-succeed-early/ http://philliesnation.com/archives/2012/02/with-schedule-howard-fill-ins-must-succeed-early/#comments Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:00:05 +0000 Corey Seidman http://philliesnation.com/?p=28021 From 2007-10, the Phillies had a .573 overall winning percentage despite going 100-101 in eight combined Aprils and Junes. Last season, they sprinted out of the gate and neither month was a problem.

Based on the way the 2012 schedule is set up, it is imperative that the Phils start strong — perhaps even stronger than last season’s 57-34 first-half record — and avoid the familiar April malaise and June swoon.

The post-All-Star break schedule is grueling.

To start the season’s unofficial second half, the Phils play 41 consecutive games and 53 of the first 56 against teams figuring to be in contention.

Included in that stretch are nine games with the Braves and six with the Nationals and Marlins. In fact, 33 of the Phils’ 54 meetings with Atlanta, Washington and Miami come after the break.

Building a comfortable NL East lead over the season’s first three months won’t be as easy as it would have been with Ryan Howard in the lineup. Despite his well-documented inefficiencies, Howard is still capable of carrying an offense for two weeks in a way that Ty Wigginton and Laynce Nix are not.

With Howard out of the lineup until perhaps mid-to-late May, Wigginton and Nix will be much more than just role players.

Laynce Nix is one of several Ryan Howard replacements who must hit well early against weak competition.

It is believed that Wigginton will see the bulk of time at first base and Nix and Mayberry will platoon in left field, but all three men can play both positions. In a perfect world, Jim Thome should also see a game per week at first base.

Pitching will lead the Phils against a slew of weak first-half opponents (12 games vs. the Mets, seven vs. Pittsburgh, seven with San Diego, six with the Cubs, three with Baltimore and Minnesota, two with Houston), but the offense can’t sputter in the early-going, allowing inferior teams to stay in games in hopes of stealing bullpen victories. Anything less than a 26-15 record against these flawed foes would be a disappointment.

Fortunately, Ruben Amaro has designed a deep team built to play specifically to certain players’ strengths.

Nix, lifetime, has hit .253 with a .451 slugging percentage against righties and .181 with a Wilson Valdez-esque .271 slugging percentage vs. lefties. But because of the many platoon options at first and left, he’ll likely face fewer lefties than Greg Dobbs ever did.

On the flipside, Wigginton gets on base four percent more and has an OPS 64 points higher against lefties than righties.

The right-handed Mayberry hit .250 with a .785 OPS against righties last season and .306 with a .953 OPS vs. lefties. He faced 56 more righties than lefties, a split we can expect to see reversed.

If Nix faces only righties and Wigginton and Mayberry see as many southpaws as same-handed pitchers, all three should enter the break with nice numbers.

Amaro’s low-priced moves have set the Phillies up to succeed in the short-term against weak competition. And it will need to play out that way, because once Howard gets his legs under him, the schedule doesn’t give the Phils a chance to relax.

Lidge leaves for the Nats. (MLB)

Washington Nationals reliever Brad Lidge joined “The Sports Bash with Mike Gill” on 97.3 ESPN FM on Tuesday. Lidge was very candid about the Phillies not wanting him back and the team’s signing of Jonathan Papelbon over friend Ryan Madson.

“I came back to the Phillies and I said, ‘Let’s talk. My heart’s still here,” said Lidge. “It never left. Let’s see what we can do.’ Unfortunately, at that time, they had changed their mind and didn’t have a contract for me.”

Obviously, the Phillies went in another direction, going after guys like Chad Qualls and Dontrelle Willis. Lidge understood the changes. “Yeah, it’s disappointing. I’m not crying about it or nothing. I understand it’s all business and that’s part of it. But it was disappointing and unfortunate because, of course, I did want to come back to Philadelphia.”

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO LIDGE’S INTERVIEW

PHOTO AP

Roy Halladay is on the mound. Everyone in attendance at Citizens Bank Park knows he is on today–that his stuff is good stuff today. The first three batters of the game look like they’ve never swung a baseball bat in their life as they flailed in vain at the perfectly placed pitches by Halladay. The next eight innings play out in similar fashion, with maybe a few seeing eye singles and a lone run on the scoreboard.

But there’s a problem. The home team hasn’t scored, even though the opposing pitcher has an ERA in the upper stratosphere.

Sound familiar? It seemed like this happened far too often in 2011, and never more apparent in Game 5 of the NLDS, when the Phillies were incapable of scratching off just one run against Christ Carpenter–who is an elite pitcher–when their own Roy Halladay pitched his ass off for them, allowing just a single run. It was a painful way to end the season, and a microcosm of the seemingly many times that Halladay–or any of the Aces–did not get sufficient run support.

The Phillies scored 4.4 runs per game in 2011, but just 3.84 behind Cole Hamels. And 3.97 behind Cliff Lee. They scored 4.78 behind Halladay, but combined the Phils only scored 4.2 runs behind their three aces, while scoring an average of 4.69 runs per game in all other games.

I thought this was interesting, so I investigated the other two pitchers in the top five of the Cy Young Award voting, and the results were not similar. The Dodgers scored 4.33 runs in games that Clayton Kershaw started, and just 3.88 in games he didn’t, while the Diamondbacks scored 4.58 runs in games that Ian Kennedy started, and 4.5 in all other games. Since it seems to be a Phillies-only problem, I turned my attention back to them.

Going a little deeper, the Phillies averaged 8.2  hits per game behind the aces, and 8.9 hits per game in the rest. This means that the Phillies were getting about the same amount of opportunities to score runs, but couldn’t capitalize as much. You would think that this means that they left more men on base, but that’s not the case. In games started by the aces, they stranded an average of 7 runners per game, but in other games, they stranded runners a little more, averaging 7.94 per game. They even struck out less in “aces” games than in other games–6.08 behind the aces and 6.66 in others. What this tells me is that the Phils’ offense was putting the ball in play more, but not getting good enough contact.

The cause of this could be one of many things. First, I think you have to figure out why this seems to happen to only the Aces on the Phillies, and not the other pitchers. A common theory says that if a guy like Halladay, Hamels, or Lee is on the mound, the offense becomes complacent, knowing that it doesn’t have to put up a ton of runs to win the game. Imagine being at your job, knowing that the guy next to you is going to get done 80% of the project you both are contributing to. Are you not likely to do only 20% of the work, even though it should be 50/50? It’s a mental thing, and something that is very real, even though it can’t be completely explained by numbers.

Another reason for this phenomenon could simply be coincidence. The numbers are not that far off, and the data compiled is from just one season. Maybe 2012 will be different, but for now, aces on the mound means less run production from this Phillies lineup and more frustration from fans that miss the high powered offense that the Phillies used to have.

Phillies Nation’s winner for the number one Philadelphia Phillies Top Moment of 2011 is … (drum roll, please) … The 19 inning marathon against the Cincinnati Reds!

This may not come as a surprise.  We remember staying up late, refusing to turn off the television.  We remember it being one of the oddest games of recent memory. We remember Wilson Valdez taking the mound in the 19th inning and retiring the meat of the Reds’ lineup.  We remember it being one entirely awesome game.

I’ll be honest: there are some things that I forgot.  It was practically two games in one: 6 hours and 11 minutes of insanity.  With the game occurring last May, many things have exited my brain.  I thought that I’d test your knowledge in a few trivia questions:

1. Who were the starting pitchers?
2. Which Phillies homered?
3. How did the Phillies score the winning run?

No cheating. The answers are after the jump.

If you answered (1) Travis Wood and Roy Halladay, (2) Ben Francisco and Ryan Howard, and (3) Raul Ibanez sacrifice fly, then congratulations, you answered them all correctly.

The Phillies had a 3-0 lead by the second inning, thanks to Francisco’s two-run shot in the first.  With Doc on the mound, a 3-0 lead is usually plenty, but the Reds tied the game in the seventh on Jay Bruce’s two-run single.

After the three early runs, it became one of those nights where the Phillies just couldn’t seem to score a run.  They were able to get baserunners, but could not find a way to bring them home.

Luckily, the bullpen kept the Phillies in the game.  Antonio Bastardo surrendered a 10th-inning home run to Bruce, but Ryan Howard got that run back with a shot of his own.  Other than that, the Phillies bullpen was flawless.

Because the Phillies couldn’t score runs and kept using pitchers, they ran out of arms.  Danys Baez was their last hope.  Yes, that same Danys Baez who was released from the team later in the year.  We all expected that he would implode and the game would end, but a miracle must have happened.  Baez pitched five shutout innings out of the pen.  Innings 14 through 18 were in the hands of Danys Baez.  Sure, it was a “God help us!” kind of situation, but Baez amazingly came through.  He truly was the hero during those late night hours.

Eventually, Baez became gassed and the Phillies had to bring in somebody else.  “Not uhs” and “no ways” were heard in the stands as Wilson Valdez approached the mound.  I actually laughed when I heard Valdez was coming into pitch, but he actually put on a show.  He topped 90 mph on the radar gun and retired Joey Votto, Jay, Bruce, and Carlos Fisher — the first two being very intimidating hitters.

I can still replay the image of Valdez leaving the mound with a smile and joking with his teammates in my head.  Valdez’s performance must have brought some life back to the Phillies.  Jimmy Rollins led off the inning with a single, Dom Brown walked, Placido Polanco moved the runners over, and Howard walked.  The bases were loaded with just one out in the 19th inning.  Raul Ibanez did exactly what he needed to do: hit the ball in the air to the outfield.  The sacrifice fly scored Rollins, and the Phillies beat the Reds, 5-4.

It was a long game.  It was a weird game.  But it was certainly an entertaining and memorable one.  It ranks first among the Phillies Top Moments for 2011, and in my mind it ranks as one of my favorite regular season games of all time.

This post sponsored by Kevin’s sports betting tips website and blog.

Hernandez made his professional debut with the Venezuelan Summer League at the age of 17. In two seasons there, he tallied a .296 batting average with 3 HR and 45 RBI in 114 games.

The current Phillies 40-man roster member played with the Gulf Coast League Phillies in 2009, where he batted .267 with 5 doubles and a triple in 41 games.

In 2010, as a member of the NY-Penn League’s (short-season Class A) Williamsport Crosscutters, Hernandez was voted as the Most Valuable Player of the club by his teammates. He proved clutch with the ‘Cutters, posting a .400 average (16-for-40) with runners in scoring position and two outs. Overall that season, Hernandez sported an impressive .325/.390/.392 line with 13 doubles and 2 triples in 65 games and was 2nd in the league in stolen bases with 32.

His remarkable season in Williamsport led to a complete skip of full season Class A Lakewood. Hernandez played the entire 2011 season with the Class A Advanced Clearwater Threshers, where his offensive production took a dip (.268/.303./.333 line). With just 15 extra-base hits against 98 singles last year, a power boost will be something to look for from Hernandez as he climbs upwards in the developmental ranks.

Also taking a noticeable drop was the damage Hernandez did on the base paths. After a success rate of 84% in 2010, the youngster was only successful in 70% of his stolen base attempts with Clearwater the following year. Moving up two levels provides an acceptable reason for the decreased output and, as such, the Phillies were still very pleased with the progress Hernandez made against the difficult Florida State League competition.

The 21-year-old played in the Venezuelan Winter League this off-season. As a member of the Bravos de Margarita, the switch-hitting Hernandez posted a weak .259/.314/.277 line in 34 games.

Defensively, Hernandez’s arm is clearly above average and his range is very good. He has played 45 games at shortstop in his pro career, but none since advancing above the VSL.

Hernandez’s coaches and organizational instructors praise his many talents (defensive instincts, swing, speed) and are confident that Hernandez has what it will take to compete at the highest levels of professional baseball.

Expect Hernandez to get a shot at playing with the Double-A Reading Phillies in 2012. Whether or not he begins the season there could depend on where the organization places the older Harold Garcia to open the year. While Hernandez may project to compete at the big league level, the capacity in which he could contribute in the Majors will surely depend on the progress he makes in the meantime.

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Image- Joe Wombough

Our 2012 Prospect countdown index can be found HERE.

Jay Floyd is PhilliesNation’s minor league insider. You can check out more from Jay by visiting his site, PhoulBallz.com.

Slowly, that seed morphed into a small plant. The small plant became Phillies Nation TV, which Corey Seidman and I shoot on a monthly basis. We began shooting PN TV’s late in the 2011 season and have tried to keep up with it to the best of our abilities. Our hard work and diligence has paid off.

The small plant is now larger than we ever imagined it could be.

We’re excited to announce a new partnership with Service Electric’s 2 Sports in the Lehigh Valley. Phillies Nation TV will go from an 8-10 minute show into a 30 minute program that will be taped once a week and will air three times per week – with days and times to be announced soon. So, those of you in the area of Allentown, Bethlehem, Quakertown, Reading, Northampton, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, and parts of Northern New Jersey will be able to see PN TV several times a week, satisfying your need for all things Phillies. You’ll also be able to get it on-demand.

Service Electric Television is a private, family owned cable business servicing over 294,000 subscribers located in approximately 250 communities in Central and Northeastern Pennsylvania and Northwestern New Jersey. 2 Sports, the channel we’ll be on, is the TV home of the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs and Reading Phillies. So we’ll feel right at home covering the Phillies and their minor league affiliates while adding a new dimension to the network.

With this new partnership, we’ll be able to give you greater access to the minor leaguers we’ve come to know and love. We’ll also continue to provide the best Phillies coverage possible.

Needless to say, we’re completely stoked and can’t wait to get started on this newest project. Myself and Corey will continue the hosting duties with Ian, Jay, and all of our Phillies Nation contributors involved in some way, shape, or form. The ideas are already flowing, but of course, we’d love to hear from you. What more would you like to see out of Phillies Nation TV? Please, feel free to leave your thoughts/comments/ideas in the comments section below.

But Sunday mornings, like for many people, are my mornings.  It gives me a chance to look back on the week, the month or in some cases the season we are currently working our way through.  This Sunday is one of those mornings.  Jumping from sport site, and some even more popular blog sites, to sport site it is amazing how much I’ve missed.

Philadelphia teams are doing very well in their respective sports this year.  The Sixers are out-performing almost everyone and have analysts scratching their heads at their success.  Good for them.  The Flyers currently trail by three points in the standing and are one of the most scariest teams in front of opposing nets.  I’d like to think we have come to expect this from all of our teams.

Have the Phillies spoiled us as fans?  I remember in the early 2000′s watching the Phils and just hoping for 90 wins.  Then I started getting greedy wanting 100 wins.  Then came the ‘World Series or Bust’ train of thought.  Once you get a taste of a championship, you just want more and more.

The Phillies are continuing to put the team in a better place to win another World Series.  Hell, even Chad Qualls made PN headlines three times this week.  And trust me, it doesn’t get me anymore excited about the signing.  Corey and Ian have given their opposing opinions on the matter.  End of the day some power lists have the Phillies as the third best team in the majors and Ruben Amaro Jr. and the rest of the front office thinks Qualls will add depth to the bullpen.  And Rube’s done a pretty good job thus far, so ‘yeah, we’ll go with that.’

Phillies Nation can’t claim too many records for site views ( well we can for that) or revenue spending but we can say we’ve interviewed prospect Roman Quinn more times than he’s laced up for the Phillies professionally.  Quinn, 2nd round signee from last year’s draft, has yet to play a game for the Phillies.  Jay Floyd sat down with him and asked about the late signing, his experience from the side line and got his thoughts on what kind of a player he sees himself as.  Good read.

With just under two weeks until pitchers and catchers report we have just about made it through our annual Top 20 Moments from the past season.  This week we looked at #2 and it happens to be the Phillies first win of the season.  I still remember being at this game.  It was snowing/sleeting as we tailgated.  I wore gloves so my beer wouldn’t freeze to my hand.  And I remember thinking John Mayberry Jr. made it all worth it.

Take a look back at the rest of the list and see if you can figure out what our top moment will be.

And finally, the Nationals are up to their old tricks again.  First they swoop in and snag Jayson Werth for way too much money trying to one-up the Phillies.  I credit them for finally noticing that Nats Park becomes another Phillies home game every time we hit the nation’s capital but have they taken it too far?  Advertising their ‘Take Back the Park‘ campaign they offered tickets to only DC area accounts for the May series.  Will it help?  Probably not.  Nice try though.

With it being Super Bowl Sunday, let the festivities begin.  Your first course of action should be to sign up for the VIP list for McFadden’s Super Bowl party and your first drink is on the house.  Lots of stuff going on today so don’t miss out!

Go Phillies!

Roman is a 5-foot-10-inch tall 170-pound switch-hitting shortstop that is highly praised for his speed and his adaptability. The exciting young talent is primed for a big year, potentially with the Class A short-season Williamsport Crosscutters.

I asked Roman about various topics including his friendship with 1st round draft pick Larry Greene Jr., his off-season thus far and plenty more. Check out the full interview below.

You didn’t play an official game after signing with the Phillies in 2011, but you spent time around the GCL club. What was that experience like and how was it beneficial to you?

I think it benefited me by seeing how fast the game was and meeting most of the coordinators and some of the players.

You seemed to be paired up with Larry Greene during that time. Did you guys bond a lot during that stint?

Yeah, me and Larry became real good friends. We learned a lot about each other while we were in Clearwater.

How would you scout yourself as a player? What are your strengths?

I’m very athletic, plus-plus speed, great arm, I have gap power from both sides, and I can play more than one position. All those things aside, I’m young and still have a lot to learn about this game.

What have you been doing this off-season to prepare for your first year as a pro?

I been working on pretty much everything. Switch hitting is still kind of new to me but I’m getting a lot of reps on that side, so I’m starting to feel like a natural lefty, of course bunting on both sides because that is a big part of my game, taking a lot of ground balls at shortstop and working on my fielding technique, speed drills, and working out in the weight room.

I know you made some extra income this off-season, by signing insert cards
for a trading card company. What details can you share about that experience? Were those the first autographs you signed?

The name of the company was Panini and I signed, like, a thousand stickers for them (to be applied to their products) and got something in return. Yes, it was my first autograph signing for an actual company.

Your twitter handle is @baseballswag4. Does that handle speak on your confidence level?

Yeah, it pretty much speaks on my confidence and my girlfriend said I need to add a little bit of style to my Twitter name. So there it is.

What has surprised you the most about being a professional ball player?

Knowing that I have people that are willing to help me get to the big show and achieve my goals.

And one last thing…what is your favorite spot to eat at in Clearwater?

My favorite place to eat in Clearwater is Smokey Bones.

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Image- Joe Wombough

Jay Floyd is PhilliesNation’s minor league insider.  You can check out more from Jay by visiting his site, PhoulBallz.com.

Could Oswalt return to the Phils?

According to Fox Sports’ Jon Paul Morosi, Roy Oswalt‘s price tag is falling yet his preferred suitors remain strapped for cash and may not be able to sign the righty. It is no secret the World Series-winning Cardinals and runner-up Rangers are Oswalt’s top choice due to their proximity to his Mississippi home, yet Morosi reports that the Red Sox, Reds, and, yes, the Phillies have remained in contact with Oswalt as contract demands decrease. Oswalt is the best free agent pitcher available, yet teams looking for cheaper options are exploring trades, with Morosi mentioning the Nationals’ John Lannan and the Rays’ Jeff Niemann and Wade Davis being available with affordable, team-friendly contracts.

Of Oswalt’s interest in returning, Morosi says:

Oswalt had a positive experience in Philadelphia, where he went 16-11 with a 2.96 ERA in 221 2/3 innings after arriving in a trade midway through the 2010 season. Oswalt remains interested in returning to the Phillies, sources say. But they haven’t been aggressive in looking for rotation help this off-season, given the formidable – and expensive – cast of starters they currently possess.

This off-season, the Phillies have picked up a few role players whose salaries total what Oswalt may be asking for ($8-$10 million, 1 year). Phillies fans: is Oswalt someone you would be willing to go over the Luxury Tax for, do you have confidence in our fifth starter (Joe Blanton, Kyle Kendrick, or other), and are you disappointed that the money given to players like Ty Wigginton, Laynce Nix, Jim Thome, Chad Qualls, and others could have been used to re-sign Oswalt or does the strengthened bench outweigh fortifying what remains one of the most formidable rotations in baseball?

Click here for Phillies Nation’s Roy Oswalt 2011 Year In Review.

In three seasons playing in the VSL, Garcia’s offensive progression was evident, as he posted batting averages that increased annually- .226, .273, .296.

After arriving stateside, Garcia spent the 2008 season with the Gulf Coast League Phillies, where he batted .299 with 5 homers and a .907 OPS in 50 games, leading his club to the league championship.

In 2009, Garcia continued his winning ways, helping the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws lock down the South Atlantic League championship. As a member of the BlueClaws, Garcia finished third in the SAL with 42 stolen bases. He also batted .291 with 8 homers and 55 RBI with a .765 OPS in 118 games that season.

At age 23 in 2010, Garcia really proved himself worthy of considerable praise when he posted a .305 batting average with an .807 OPS and 29 steals in 101 games at two levels. He made headlines that year when, as a member of the Class A Advanced Clearwater Threshers, he set the all-time Florida State League hit streak record at 37 games. After subsequently being named Phillies minor league player of the month for June, Garcia was promoted to the Double-A Reading Phillies. As a member of the R-Phils, the switch-hitting Garcia posted a solid line of .281/.340/.403.

Primed for a big year in 2011, Garcia’s season ended after just 12 games when he tore ligaments in his right knee. In that limited action, Garcia sported a .300 average with 3 doubles, 2 homeruns and 4 RBI.

Fully recovered over the off-season, Garcia spent some time with the his hometown Aguilas del Zulia in the Venezuelan Winter League. In 2 games, the 25-year-old went 1-for-5 with a walk.

Primarily a second baseman throughout his career, Garcia has also played third base (66 games) and shortstop (3) games during his professional career. He even dabbled in the outfield at fall instructional league in 2010. In the field, Garcia ranks well above average, but he may need to spend more times at those other positions to increase his versatility and value.

Speed is definitely a key aspect of Garcia’s game as he has stolen 107 bases in his pro career. However, his 76% career success rate certainly leaves some room for improvement.

Barring any setbacks, Garcia, a member of the Phillies’ 40-man roster, could see a solid amount of time with the big club in spring training. If Garcia can pick up where he left off last year, he could be counted on as a filler if injuries to the infield arise this season or join the Phils as a September call up this year.

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2012 prospect countdown index can be found HERE.

Jay Floyd is PhilliesNation’s minor league insider.  You can read more from Jay by visiting his site, PhoulBallz.com.

Game on Andy Feffer, game on.

The Washington Nationals stirred up some publicity earlier this morning by beginning the sale of single-game tickets for one singular series, May 4-6 versus our beloved Fightin’ Phils. It wasn’t the odd practice of only releasing one series’ worth of tickets to the general public that caught headlines, it was the fact that these tickets were limited to folks with credit cards from the DC-metro area, intended to “Take Back the Park” to block out Phillies fans.

The Nationals are quietly stockpiling nice, primarly young and developing talent to help them ascend to the top of the NL East. And that ascension may come quicker than Phillies fans realize: just yesterday, Buster Olney tweeted that the Phillies would win the NL East and that the Nationals would win one of the two Wild Card spots. As teams like the Tampa Bay Rays and Oakland A’s have found, making the playoffs does not always fill up the stadium. But announcing a rivalry with the top dog and telling their fans they can’t come to the games? That will grab headlines and that will fill the seats.

The Washington Post’s Dan Steinberg commented that he, and the rest of the Nationals fanbase, hated seeing rows and rows of Phillies shirts and jerseys.  He interviewed their COO Andy Feffer who said “Forget you, Philly. This is our park, this is our town, these are our fans, and it’s our time right now.” Feffer addressed this e-mail to folks who bought tickets with the Nationals in years past:

Dear Nationals Insider,

Let’s work together to keep Phillies fans out - it’s time to TAKE BACK THE PARK!

Starting today, single game tickets for the May 4-6 Nationals vs. Phillies series will be made available only to Nationals fans who reside in Washington, D.C., Maryland or Virginia.

To take advantage of this offer, click on the green Take Back the Park button below to register. Upon successful registration, you will receive an email with a one-time-use password to complete your purchase. Nationals fans may purchase up to eight tickets per game in one transaction, while supplies last.

We invite you to show your Nationals pride and TAKE BACK THE PARK!

Sincerely,
Andrew Feffer
Chief Operating Officer

And to that I say, thank you.  The Phillies head into 2012 with five straight Division titles and an experienced core. A little competition has never hurt anyone and this may help light a fire underneath the Phillies to have them remain competitive.

A competitive, young Nationals team will help the Phillies remain competitive and respond positively to change. And a competitive and successful team in DC, no matter if they block out Philadelphia-area credit cards or not, means more relatively local baseball to see on a consistent basis. As for Feffer’s comments, they’ve had the intended effect: people are talking about the Nationals and locals will buy tickets and even further engaged Phillies fans will find ways to buy them. A competitive Nationals team helps the entire baseball fanbase and may help the Nationals turn the corner much like the Phillies did in 2007 when Jimmy Rollins proclaimed they were the “team to beat” heading into the season. For the Phillies sake, I hope this is not the case.

What are your reactions Phillies Nation?

Check out the media player below to hear the full interview.
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Jay Floyd is PhilliesNation’s minor league insider. You can check out more from Jay by visiting his site, PhoulBallz.com.

The signing of Chad Qualls means the Phillies are staring down the barrell of a loaded Luxury Tax gun. Photo: AP

The signing of Chad Qualls wasn’t one of the bargain basement signings like Juan Pierre or Joel Pineiro where a Phillies fan can argue if it doesn’t work out, we can stash the journeyman 33 year-old reliever in Triple-A. Instead, the signing of Qualls for $1.15 million was a little puzzling, perplexing, and pushed them right to the threshold of the dreaded luxury tax. And while my colleague Corey Seidman did a fantastic job illustrating why it wasn’t the best signing, I’d like to argue it was a good signing for reasons you may have and may not have anticipated.

In Jonah Keri’s piece on Albert Pujols’s contract, Keri says the going rate for 1 win is about $5 million. Corey praised Qualls for a nasty sinker-slider combo that induces groundballs and projected him as a .3 to .7 win reliever for 2012, which would be a bargain. Bill James has predicted Qualls somewhere between his very good 2009 and serviceable 2010, making Corey’s prediction spot on. Where I differ with Corey is how Qualls place on the team effects the young arms around him and how this signing reflects on the Phillies.

Injuries Happen, Call-Ups are Used

In 2011, the Phillies used 22 pitchers, 18 from the bullpen at some point. In 2010, those numbers were 21 and 16, 2009 saw 22 and 18, 2008’s numbers were 18 and 14, and 2007 saw 28 pitchers take the mound for the Phillies with 23 of them seeing relief duty. 2007 is unquestionably the outlier, but consider this: 16 pitchers appeared for the Phillies out of the ‘pen for 10 or more appearances in 2007 in a worst case scenario, everybody-got-injured-or-is-horrible year. In 2011, with a relatively stable ‘pen? 10 pitchers had at least 10 appearances, with 8 with 24 or more.

Qualls is a serviceable pitcher that was had at the right price. Admittedly, I am intrigued by seeing Michael Schwimer, Justin DeFratus, Phillippe Aumont, and Joe Savery receive an extended shot at the Majors, but signing Qualls will not reduce their chances. Other circumstances that happened at the end of this year and in the off-season have dramatically increased their chances, if anything.

Every year, it felt like the Phillies would trot out a combination of Andrew Carpenter, Scott Mathieson, and Mike Zagurski to varying degrees of effectiveness any time there was an injury. One was traded to Toronto, Mathieson left for Japan, and Zagurski was traded to Arizona. Those road blocks are gone. And the difference with Schwimer, DeFratus, and Aumont? They’re younger and fresher than the previous trio was when they were receiving their shots. If any of those three, along with Savery, does get an extended look due to injury, the Phillies have no problem retaining those players on the roster if their performance remains at a high level, examples being Michael Stutes and Antonio Bastardo.

Injury candidates that may land young arms a spot: Bastardo, Joe Blanton (either from the ‘pen or an injury that gives Kendrick a starting spot instead of the swing-man role) and Jose Contreras.

The Reality that Stutes and Bastardo May Have Caught Lightning in a Bottle

For the first half of the year, Stutes looked like the missing link in the bullpen. The 24-year old was fantastic but hit two distinct walls: in June and in September. And it wasn’t all that crazy to suggest Bastardo was one of the best set-up men in all of baseball midway through the season. Like Stutes, however, Bastardo ran into a wall and lost effectiveness late in the season. There is a real possibility that at some point for either one of these pitchers, the wheels may fall off again, leaving an opportunity for one of the young arms to get their opportunity.

What Luxury Tax?

And perhaps the most exciting, and abstract interpretation, of the Chad Qualls signing is the possibility that the Phillies are willing to go above and beyond the Luxury Tax threshold to acquire the players they need to win a World Series. Philadelphia fans, myself included, long loathed the Yankees and Red Sox, and sometimes the Cubs and Mets, for being big pocketed bullies who did whatever it took monetarily to build a championship team. The Phillies haven’t entered that realm; they’re already in it.

Does the Chad Qualls signing mean they’re going to be able to re-sign Cole Hamels for whatever his price tag may be after the season? Not at all. But what it may suggested is with the added revenue of selling out every night, increased ticket prices, and the very real new TV deal that is around the corner, the Phillies will go straight up to the Luxury Tax and sometimes cross it to acquire the right players.

Enjoy!

Source: REUTERS / Tim Shaffer

As the snow melts, the waiting is almost over. When pitchers and catchers report, there’s a little relief as baseball withdrawal is put on hold, but nothing is like the return of meaningful games. Anticipation and excitement build up as Opening Day approaches. A new year means new hopes, dreams, and memories. For a baseball fan, Opening Day is more than the beginning of a new season; it’s one of the best “holidays” out there.

The words “cold,” “rain,” and “losing” have been associated with Opening Day through the years. Win or lose, it’s great to have baseball back again.

2011′s first game resulted in a victory as the Phillies opened the season with a bang, indicating that there were many more great moments to come.

From 2007 to 2009, Brett Myers was the Opening Day starter. He found himself on the mound at Citizens Bank Park for Opening Day once again, but this time he was on the other side. His opponent, Roy Halladay, was making his second Opening Day start in a Phillies uniform. The edge was given to Halladay, but both starters pitched well.

The game remained scoreless after five, but the Astros took a 4-0 lead into the bottom of the seventh after Halladay exited. The Phillies got two back, but still trailed 4-2 entering the bottom of the ninth. It wasn’t too early in the season for a comeback.

Jimmy Rollins led off the inning with a single. “As JRoll goes, the Phillies go,” and that’s exactly what happened. Rollins scored on Ben Francisco’s single. The Phillies trailed by one. Wilson Valdez singles. Tie game.

Enter John Mayberry.

Mayberry smacked a liner which sailed over Michael Bourn’s head. Bourn did not have a chance as Francisco waltzed home for the winning run.

The Phillies beat the Astros, 5-4, in dramatic fashion on Opening Day.  It was a sign of more exciting things to come throughout the season.

The return of baseball and an amazing come from behind victory — it really doesn’t get much better than that!  (Well, maybe except for our #1 Top Moment of 2011.  Stay tuned to find out what it is).

After struggling in the Arizona Fall League in 2010, when he allowed 12 earned runs in 3 2/3 innings over 5 outings, Diekman refocused his approach on the mound. Diekman entered the 2011 season with a goal of throwing all his pitches for strikes and getting into a hitter’s mentality in order to mix up his approach toward the opposition. That approach helped the Phillies’ 30th round draft choice from 2007 compete against hitters at the higher levels of the minors.

The 25-year-old Diekman sports a pitch repertoire that includes a fastball, a slider and a change up. In 2011, the Nebraska native added a couple notches of velocity after receiving advice from former Williamsport pitching coach Lance Carter, in spring training. The tip, lowering his arm angle when playing long toss, landed Diekman’s fastball at 95 MPH on a regular basis. The increased speed helped Diekman in match ups against opposing batters, as he saw his K/9 rate shoot up from 9.05 in 2010 to 11.49 in 2011.

Overall, as a member of the Double-A Reading Phillies in 2011, Diekman had a strong season, posting a 0-1 record with 3 saves, a 3.05 ERA and a .199 batting average against in 53 games.

As a member of the 2009 South Atlantic League champion Class A Lakewood BlueClaws, Diekman sported a 2-0 record with a 4.04 ERA and a .266 batting average against in 32 games (2 starts). The following year, Diekman began the season back with Lakewood and was promoted to Class A Advanced Clearwater after going 2-0 with a 1.90 ERA and a .178 BAA in 21 relief outings. After his move upward in 2010, Diekman went 0-2 with a 3.66 and a .195 BAA ERA in 24 games.

As further evidence of his improvements as a pro, across three levels in his first two professional seasons, Diekman posted a 7-13 record and a 4.45 ERA with 142 strike outs in 194 1/3 innings.

Mentally, Diekman has displayed the ability to be tough and fearless on the mound.  His focus will be on consistent mechanics, especially with his arm angle, as he continues to strive toward the ultimate goal of pitching in the big leagues.

Headed into 2012, Diekman should get a good look with the big club in spring training and will likely begin the season with Triple-A Lehigh Valley. As inevitable injuries arise in the Phils’ bullpen during the regular season, Diekman stands a very good chance at being a hurler that the team counts on to fill those voids and contribute.
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Click HERE for the 2012 Phillies prospect countdown index.

Jay Floyd is PhilliesNation’s minor league insider. You can check out more from Jay by visiting his site, PhoulBallz.com.